This is a blog by a Memphian who wants to share his unique perspective, along with some interesting facts & information, about cycling in & around the city of Memphis.

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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Tragic death of a cyclist, south of Memphis, should serve as a reminder of the constant need for caution and safety

Tragic death of a cyclist, south of Memphis, should serve as
a reminder of the constant need for caution and safety

By:Michael Lander

Canadian-born cyclist, Iain Gerrard, wanted to ride his bike from his homein Toronto to New Orleans. Unfortunately, he was struck and killed beforehe reached his destination.

Iain Edward Gerrard was only 23-years-old when he died.Gerrard was a cyclist from Toronto, Canada who was making a trip of a lifetime on his bicycle from his home in Toronto, to his ultimate destination of New Orleans, when he was hit and killed just south of Memphis.The accident occurred on Monday afternoon,
July 14, 2014, around 3 p.m.

Gerrard was struck by an 18-wheeler just south of Memphis on U.S. Hwy 61 and
Star Landing Rd in Desoto County in Mississippi.DeSoto County Coroner, Jeff Pounders, is
quoted as saying, in a DeSoto Time Tribune article, "Canadian
cyclist struck by 18-wheeler," that Gerrard was traveling north in
the southbound lane a half a mile south of Star Landing Road near Walls,
Miss.when he appeared to have veered
over in the lane of traffic and was hit.

The DeSoto County Sheriff's Office and the Mississippi Highway Patrol have not
yet released any information or confirmed any details concerning this accident.

While there may be questions surrounding the circumstances of this terrible accident, for some, the thoughts are not so much on how it happened, but on who it happened to. For friends, family, his parents, (William and Jean Gerrard), and for the cycling community as a whole, this is a sad time for them to grieve collectively over the tragic loss of a life that was taken too soon. It is also a time when all of us are reminded of what could happen to any of us and what the loved ones of cyclists may fear and dread the most.

As sad and as unfortunate as any loss of life like this is, it does help to
bring to the forefront an issue that can never get enough attention and that is safety. It can also
serve as a warning, and as a cautionary tale, not only to cyclists, but to non-cyclists
as well.

Since cyclists have a real vested interest in all this, they, more than
anyone else, need to take the lead in making things safe for themselves while
on the road.This begins with not only knowing
what to do and not do, but it includes following the rules of the road, and remaining
as visible, vigilant, and as predictable as they can at all times.

Cyclists also need to take every opportunity that they can to remind everyone
else that cyclists have every right, in the eyes of the law, to be on the roads. Along with all that, cyclists should also establish goodwill with drivers and
to try to be as a courteous and conscientious toward them, and to try to avoid doing
those things that might unnecessarily annoy or aggravate them, like riding more than two abreast and not moving
over to the right to let vehicles pass them.

Drivers, for their part, should be as careful and cautious around cyclists with whom they share the road with and they should always try to have at least three feet of clearance between them and a cyclist.

It might take some time, but with a little effort on the part of cyclists, and as
drivers become more accustomed to seeing more cyclists on the road, it should
ultimately help to foster a culture of acceptance of cyclists in the community at large.

As terrible and tragic as it is for even one cyclist like Gerrard to die, when you consider
the number of cyclists there are, and how many of them regularly ride their
bikes, the number of accidents and fatalities in our area is lower than what some might expect. We can only try to do our part to keep that number as close to zero as
possible.

Statistically, the number of vehicles hitting cyclists and the number of
fatalities associated with these accidents in the Memphis area seems to be
relatively low.Since 2010, there have
only been three cyclists who have been killed, with the recent one in North
Mississippi, one in Midtown Memphis on August 11, 2011, and another on the Hernando DeSoto
Bridge on August 12, 2012.

Even though the greatest danger to cyclists on the road are collisions with
vehicles, there are many other dangers that they might also face while
riding.Some of the potential hazards
that cyclists might face include dogs, pedestrians or runners who might step
out in front of you, other cyclists who might run into you, and even some unexpected
problems, (gravel, potholes, etc), that you might suddenly encounter on the
road itself.With all of this, cyclists
should always expect the unexpected and they should never get too complacent
whenever they are riding their bikes.

In spite of all this, this should not be enough to deter anyone from
riding.Life is full of risks.The key for cyclists is to try to minimize any potential threats and risks that might come up on you, with
little or no warning.No one wants
anyone to get hurt while cycling and none of us should expect anything less
than as safe of an environment as possible for cyclists and anyone else on the
road.

The world should never have to lose another young life like that of Iain Gerrard and we should all do what we can to make sure that it doesn't happen again.

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About Me

I am a long-time resident of Memphis, Tennessee. I had a long active duty military career and I am now a student at the University of Memphis. I am married to a native Memphian who is a retired Memphis City School teacher. When I am not busy, or in school, you will likely find me out riding my bike or jogging around my East Memphis neighborhood. If you would like to learn more of my passion for cycling, you can follow me on twitter at - https://twitter.com/memphiscyclist, or you can check out my cycling website - http://memphiscyclist.com. If you have any questions or comments about my blogs, my website or about Memphis cycling, please feel free to contact me at mikel5061@yahoo.com.